The Brettish Empire

TBE Extra -- September 13, 1995

"It is with a heavy heart that I take up my pen to write these the last words
in which I shall ever record the singular gifts by which my friend Mr.
Sherlock Holmes was distinguished."--Dr. Watson in The Final Problem.

I know how Dr. Watson must have felt.

As you may already know by now, Mr. Jeremy Brett passed away yesterday.
He died peacefully in his sleep after years of battling depression and
heart disease. He was 59.

Although I didn't have the privilege of knowing Mr. Brett personally, like
most of you I feel as if I've lost a dear friend. He first came to my
attention as Sherlock Holmes; later I further discovered the range of his
talent in roles such as Bassanio in The Merchant of Venice and Max
De Winter in Rebecca. Mr. Brett is indeed gone, but the immense legacy
he leaves behind will live on for us to enjoy.

Incidentally, I intend to continue with The Brettish Empire as long as
you, my friends, want me to. TBE has always been a labor of love for me,
and it seemed to fill a void for Brettfans on the Internet. Now, it can
serve as a tribute to our "friend" and favorite Holmes, Jeremy Brett.
I have scanned the databases at my disposal for articles about Jeremy's
passing. So far, I've found three, which I will share with you as time
and space allow. If I find any more information, I will pass it along ASAP.
God rest your soul, dear Jeremy.

"JEREMY BRETT DIES AT 59

LONDON (AP)--Jeremy Brett, the actor who brought the legendary detective
Sherlock Holmes to life on television, has died at the age of 59.

Granada Television said Brett, star of 41 episodes of its Sherlock Holmes
series, died of heart failure in his sleep early Tuesday at his London home.

'He was an actor of immense talent who has given us the defining
characterization of Sherlock Holmes for years to come,' said Rebecca
Eaton, executive producer of Mystery! and Masterpiece Theater. "He'll
be missed terribly by us and by millions of viewers who loved him in this
role."

Brett's portrayal of Holmes was regarded as one of the finest ever. Tall
and dark, with a hawk-like profile and piercing eyes, he seemed made for
the part.

'The hardest thing in the world is to play someone who is almost an
ancient monument,' Brett told the Evening Standard in 1988.

When the television series became a hit and he filmed more of Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle's stories, Brett didn't worry about being typecast.

'What a part to typecast in. I can't tell you the difference it's made;
it's lovely,' he told The Associated Press that same year.

Brett was born Peter William Jeremy Huggins, one of four sons of an army
colonel, and was educated at Eton and the prestigious Central School of
Drama in London. When he took up acting his father asked him to change
his name.

He acted with The National Theater from 1967 to 1971 and did many other
stage and television roles before taking on Sherlock Holmes.

His films include War and Peace and My Fair Lady, and on television,
he played Max de Winter in Rebecca and Robert Browning in Robert and
Elizabeth.

Brett was divorced in 1963 from his first wife, actress Anna Massey, with
whom he had a son.

He became depressed after his second wife Joan Wilson, a producer of Masterpiece
Theater and Mystery! on public television, died of cancer
in 1985. Brett suffered a nervous breakdown, but recovered and went back
to his portrayal of Holmes. He had another bout of depression and was
hospitalized in 1994.

'I am totally saddened by Jeremy's death. He was a great friend and a
really remarkable actor,' Edward Hardwicke, who played Holmes' partner,
Dr. Watson, said Wednesday.

June Wyndham Davies, who produced most of the Sherlock Holmes TV films,
said Brett was 'the definitive Sherlock Holmes', a man deeply loved by
his cast and crew.

Funeral plans were not immediately announced."

"THE DEFINITIVE SHERLOCK HOLMES--PA News, 9/13/95

Jeremy Brett's distinguished features became known to millions through his
captivating and critically acclaimed portrayal of Sherlock Holmes.

He played the character, with whom he said he had nothing in common, for
nearly 10 years and made more appearances in the part than Basil Rathbone.

Brett brought a power sense of dark drama to the role and performed it
with a theatricality that distinguished him from his predecessors. To
many critics, his portrayal was definitive.

He once said: 'Holmes was threatening me. He became the dark side of the
moon because he is moody and solitary and I am sociable and gregarious.
It got dangerous for me.'

Born Peter Jeremy William Huggins, he was the fourth and youngest son of a
Warwickshire army colonel.

He was educated at Eton and studied acting at the Central School of Speech
and Drama in London.

When he declared his intention to become an actor, his father would not
allow him to use the name Huggins. Brett allegedly adopted the name of
his tailor.

His early career was a meteoric success.

Good looks helped him to secure many successful leading stage roles and a
part in the film version of My Fair Lady.

His wedding to actress Anna Massey in 1958 was a society event. But they
divorced four years later. They had one son.

During the 1970's Brett was much less of a headline-maker, contenting
himself with parts in television dramas, including work in the United
States and Canada.

He began playing Sherlock Holmes in 1984 and it proved a major relaunch of
his career. The Granada ITV series were watched avidly by millions of
devotees.

There was a huge critical acclaim for Brett's acting throughout the 41
adventures and for many he became the epitome of Arthur Conan Doyle's
consulting detective.

But in 1985, following the death from cancer of his second wife, American
producer Joan Sullivan, whom he married in 1978, he suffered a much
publicised nervous breakdown.

After recovering in a psychiatric hospital, he returned to continue
playing Holmes at his very best for several more years. His popularity
was undiminished.

However, in November 1993 he fell ill filming for a new series and was
diagnosed as suffering from a heart problem.

Brett's last public words were heard 10 years ago by listeners to BBC
Radio 4, when he made an emotional appeal on behalf of the Manic
Depression Society.

He spoke about his life with the disease and how he adapted to coping with
violent mood swings.

Holmes fans paid tribute to the actor many felt portrayed the true version
of the detective.

Phillip Weller, a senior official of the Franco-Midland Hardware Co., a
society which gets its name from a Holmes story, said Brett 'developed the
part enormously.

'It's a very introspective role and Jeremy was very sensitive to Conan
Doyle's original text.

'His portrayal has set a new standard by which all subsequent perfomances
will have to be judged,' he said.

Well, it looks like I'll only be able to include the above articles. Just
one more bit of Brettnews before I go: Sonia Fetherston has provided a
bittersweet follow-up to the "Sir Jeremy" article in TBE #11. It seems
Jeremy was on the list for next year's O.B.E. (Officer of the Order of the
British Empire). The Hounds of the Internet posting from which this news
came concluded as follows: "I had enjoyed a very pleasant correspondence
with Brett, I'm happy to say. He seemed to me a 'verray parfit gentil
knyght.' Most of all, I loved his enthusiasm for the Canon, and how
delighted he was with the opportunity of portraying his hero. I'm going to
miss him a lot. Adieu, Mr. B.--Lee Eric Shackleford."